Sectional boat



March 6, 1962 APPLEGATE 3,023,431

SECTIONAL BOAT Filed Oct. 10. 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Rex Appleyate ATTORNEYS R. APPLEGATE SECTIONAL BOAT March 6, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 10. 1957 INVENTOR. Hex 14 pple yQz/w/is V gate March 6, 1962 R. APPLEGATE 3,023,431

SECTIONAL BOAT Filed Oct. 10. 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,023,431 SECTIONAL BOAT Rex Applegate, Cia. Importadora Mexicana, S.A., Berlin 26, Mexico City, Mexico Filed Oct. 10, 1957, Ser. No. 689,318 Claims. (Cl. 9-2) This invention relates to a sectional boat, and more particularly to a sectional boat having sections with integral flotation chambers wherein the sections may be detached and nested within one another.

With the advent of modern light weight synthetic plastics and metals sectional boats of various designs have become quite common. One of the difliculties with these boats, however, is that many are not provided with flotation chambers. Thus if the boat should be swamped in heavy seas, or leaks should develop in a storm, the sectional boat could not remain afloat and sustain the passengers.

Other sectional boats have been proposed having flotation chambers therein, but the flotation chambers have been so arranged in the sections that they must be removed to permit nesting of the sections within one another. Such a construction has the disadvantage that the flotation chambers must be re-attached to the sections before the boat is again floated. Further, the flotation chambers have been so located in the sections as to make seating uncomfortable and remove a great deal of space from use by the passengers.

Other previously-proposed sectional boats have had transverse walls formed at both ends thereof extending the full height of the boat across the entire width thereof. i

When the sections have been assembled in such a sectional boat, these transverse members obstruct the free passage of passengers throughout the length of the boat and prevent the placing of long objects in the bottom of the boat, such as oars, or fishing poles.

According to the present invention, a sectional boat is provided largely eliminating these problems and disadvantages. The sectional boat of the invention includes a plurality of sections, each section having sealed flotation chambers formed integrally in the section and extending adjacent the outer surface of the section. Some flotation chambers are formed integrally with the bottom of the sections, extending lengthwise thereof. Other flotation chambers are formed along the gunwales of the sections, extending down the sides thereof. A further flotation chamber is formed in the stern board of the stern section. These flotation chambers extend only a short distance inwardly from the outer contour or surface of the boat and do not interfere with the nesting of the sections of the sectional boat within one another. Removable seats are provided having sealed flotation chambers formed therein. The sections may be nested within one another to form a small, neat package for transportation or storage.

Further, according to the invention, the adjacent ends of the sections of the sectional boat are substantially open. These adjacent ends of the sections have flanges extending transversely inwardly from the outer surface of the section a short distance from the sides and bottom. Fastening means, such as nut and bolt assemblies, are used to fasten these flanges together at a plurality of spaced points, and a sealing gasket is provided between the flanges to releasably maintain the sections in rigid water-tight engagement. These narrow flanges permit unobstructed passage of passengers from one section of the sectional boat to another, and also permit long objects, such as oars or fishing poles, to be stored in the bottom of the boat.

While all sections of the boat may be joined together to form one united sectional boat the sectional boat of the invention has the further advantage that less than all of the sections may be used to form a shorter aazaaai Patented Mar. 6, 1962 boat or raft. A transom or stern board is provided having the outline of the front end of the stern section and may be secured to the front of the stern section in a water-tight engagement to form a substantially rectangular raft. On the other hand, the stern board or transom may be secured to the rear end of a center section which is secured to a bow section, to form a shorter boat consisting of only the bow section and one center section.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a sectional boat separable into nestable sections with sealed flotation chambers formed integrally therein.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a sectional boat separable into sections which may be nested within one another, each section having integral flotation chambers formed therein adjacent the outer surface of the boat.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a sectional boat formed of sections having substantially open adjacent ends with narrow flanges for the connection of sections together, so as to provide unobstructed passage from one end of the boat to the other.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a sectional boat formed of sections having integral flotation chambers therein, the ends of the adjacent sections being substantially open for unobstructed passage along the entire length of the boat, with a separable transom or a stern board which may be selectively applied to less than all of the sections to provide a smaller boat or a raft.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reference to the following specification and claims and appended drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a sectional boat constructed according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a sectional boat constructed according to the invention and formed from the bow and center sections only;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a raft formed from the stern section of the sectional boat shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the sectional boat shown in FIGURE 1, with the sections separated and nested together;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section view taken along the 'line 55 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section taken along the line 66 in FIGURES;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 77 in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 8-8 in FIGURE 2.

In FIGURE 1 of the drawings, there is shown a sectional boat 10 including a bow section 12, a center section 14 and a stern section 16. If it is desired to increase the length of the boat, additional center sections can be supplied, and a boat consisting of six sections may be readily constructed. The sections may be constructed of various materials, such as plastics, including fiber-glass, and metals, such as aluminum.

The bow section 12 includes two sides 18 each having a longitudinal step 20 extending along the long dimension thereof. These sides are connected by a bottom 22 which is corrugated in the manner shown in FIG. 6. The sides 18 join at the bow 24, and narrow gunwales 26 are secured to the upper edges of sides 18 and have widened portions 28 at the rear thereof. A fore deck 30 is secured to the gunwales 26 and extends therebetween at the forward ends thereof. A hook or eye 34 may be secured to the fore deck 30 for engagement by towing hooks and lines.

A flotation chamber 36 is formed in the lower forward portion of how section 12 by a deck 38 extending between the sides 18 and a vertical frame 40 joined to the rear edge of deck 38 and to the sides 18.

It will be seen that the rear end of bow section 12 is substantially open. In order to provide a connection for connecting the bow section to other sections of the boat, flanges 42 extend inwardly from both sides 18 and upwardly from bottom 22 at 44. Holes are provided in the flange at spaced intervals for the passage of bolts 46 which are used in conjunction with wing nuts 48 and washers St) to attach adjacent flanges of adjacent sections of the sectional boat. A sealing gasket 52 is secured to the flanges 42 and 44 and may be formed of foam rubber, neoprene or plastic material. p

The center section 1 includes sides 54 having a longitudinal step formed at 56. Gunwales 60 are secured to the upper edges of the sides and are widened at 62. Gunwale flotation chambers are formed beneath each gunwale 60 by inner plates 66 which extend from the gunwales 6t downwardly to the sides 54 at the step 56, similar to the typical construction of flotation chambers 96 in FIGURE 6, and later described in greater detail.

In order to provide for connection of the ends of center section 14 to the other sections of the sectional boat, flanges 68 extend inwardly from the-ends of the sides 54 and serve to seal the ends of the flotation chambers. The bottom 70 of the center section is corrugated as shown in FIGURE 6 to form a plurality of sealed flotation chambers 72 between the bottom 70 and a false bottom or deck 74. The deck74 may be formed from a 3-ply piece of plywood 76 and a layer of fiber glass 78 on top thereof, as seen in FIGURE 7. 'Bottom flanges 79 extend upwardly from both ends of bottom 70 to seal the ends of flotation chambers 72 and to serve as connectors.

The stern section 16 of the sectional boat includes sides 80 having inclined lower portions 82, a step 84 at the upper edge of the portions 82, and vertical upper portions 86. Gunwales 88 are secured to the upper edges of vertical porti'ons86 and have widened portions 89 at the front ends thereof. As seen in FIGURE 6, inner plates 90 extend from the inner edges of gunwales 88 downwardly to steps 84along the forward portion of the stern section 16. Plates 92 seal the rear ends of the spaces between vertical plates 90 and upper side portions "86. Side flanges 94 extend inwardly from the sides 80 at the forward end of the stern section and close the forward end of the space between the innerplates 90 "and-the upper portions 86. Thus, sealed flotation chambers 96 are formed along the forward pontion of the gunwales of the stern section.

The bottom 98 of the stern section16 extends between the sides 80 and has a corrugated shape including lower surfaces 100 andindented surfaces 102. A transparent window 104 of heavy glass or a plastic material may be positioned in a portion of one of the indented surfaces 182 to provide a means for viewing the bottom from the boat. A deck 186 extends between the sides 80 and is secured as by adhesive, to the indented surfaces 162. This deck may be formed of 'alower layer of 3-p1y plywood 187 and a layer of fiber glass 8-on top thereof.

A plurality of flotation chambers 109 are formed between the lower surfaces 100 and the deck 106 and are sealed by means of a bottom flange 110 which extends upwardly from the forward end of bottom 98. A stern board 112 extends between the sides 80 and seals the stern end of flotation chambers 109, while also forming one wall of a stern board flotation chamber 114 extending across the width of the stern board. The other walls of this chamber are comprised by a vertical plate 116, having a central portion indented at 118 (see FIGURE 3), two horizontal top plates 120, a lower horizontal plate 122, and two inclined plates 124.

To provide for clamping an outboard motor in place, an inner plate 126, and an outer plate 128 are secured to the stern board 112, as by bolts'or rivets 138. Secured to the center portion of the vertical plate 116 is a seat attaching fixture 132 which has two outstanding flanges extending from the sides of the boat sections. spar 158 extends across the bottom of each seat and rests on the flanges extending from the bottom of the boat sections. Seat mounting plates 152 are secured by bolts or rivets 154 to the spars and extend downwardly with holes registering with the holes formed in the flanges extending upwardly from the bottom of the boat sections. Thus the bolts which extend through the flanges of the boat sections also extend through the plates 152 and clamp the seats in position while securing sections together. Oar locks 156 may be secured to gunwales 88 of the stern section 16 by screws or bolts.

While all'three sections of the boat may be attached together to form the boat shown in FIGURES 1 and 5, the sectional boat of the invention may also be assembled to form a shorter boat including only the bow section 12 and the center section 14, as seen in FIGURE 2.

The bow and center sections are fastened together as previously described and the rear of the center section 14 is closed by aremovable transom or stern board 158 having a shape to mate-with either the rear of the center section 14, or the front of the stern section 16. As

i seen in FIGURE 8, a sealing gasket 160 is secured to the vertical flange 79 extending upwardly from the bottom 70.

Bolts 164 extend through the transom 158 and the side and bottom flanges of-the center section 14 and receive rubber washers 166, steel washers 168 and wing nuts 170. In order to 'providefor a mounting of an outboard motor on thetwo-section boat of FIGURE 2, 'an'inner plate 172 and an outer plate 174 are bolted to the removable transom 158.

The sectional boat of the invention also may be used to form a substantially rectangular raft as shown in FIG- URE 3. This is formed by attaching the removable transom 158 to the front of the stern section 16 and may be employed for uses where such asmall sized vessel is desirable.

-In FIGURE 4 the three sections of the sectional boat are shown nested within one another. In order to form the nest shown'in FIGURE 4, the seats are removed and the sections disengaged by removing the bolts and wing The center section then may be placed within thestern section and the bow section placed within the center section. The seats and transom may be placed within the nest, although for clarity they are not illustrated therein. The entire sectional boat occupies only a small volume and may be readily inserted into the rear door of a station wagon or similar convey-- ance. The boat has abundant sealed'flotation chambers which do not interfere with the nesting of thesections of the boat within'one another for transportation and storage. The boat possesses a high degree of flexibility in that it may be assembled into acne-section raft or boats.

having from two to six sections.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms. without departing from the spirit or essential character- 'istics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of theinvention between indicated by the appended claims-rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intendedto beembraced therein.

142 and a for-- ward seat 144 are also provided and each has a sealed ilotation chamber 146 formed therein. These seats have notches 148 formed in the ends thereof for engaging the- What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A sectional, nestable boat comprising a bow section having a sealed flotation chamber formed integrally therein in the lower portion thereof, the top of said flotation chamber serving as a seat, said bow section being substantially open at its rear end and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from its sides and bottom at the rear thereof, at least one center section secured to said bow section and having a plurality of scaled flotation chambers formed integrally with the bottom thereof, said flotation chambers extending lengthwise of said center section and being positioned adjacent the outer surface of said center section, said center section being substantially open at its front and rear ends and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the front and rear thereof, a stern section secured to the center section and having a plurality of sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with the bottom thereof and positioned adjacent the outer surface thereof, said stern section being substantially open at its front end and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the front thereof, releasable fastening means joining said flanges of said sections together in rigid relationship, and sealing means between said flanges of said sections to form a watertight seal therebetween.

2. A sectional, nestable boat comprising a bow section having a sealed flotation chamber formed integrally therein adjacent the outer surface thereof, said how section being substantially open at its rear end and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the rear thereof, at least one center section having a plurality of spaced sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with the bottom thereof, said sealed flotation chambers in said center section extending only a short distance inwardly from the outer surface thereof, said center section being substantially open at its front and rear ends and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the front and rear thereof, a stern section having a plurality of spaced sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with the bottom thereof, said flotation chambers in said stern section extending only a short distance inwardly from the outer surface of said stern section, and means for releasably attaching said flanges of said bow, center and stern sections together in a water-tight engagement.

3. An assemblable sectional boat kit comprising a bow section having a sealed flotation chamber formed integrally therein in the lower portion thereof, said bow section being substantially open at its rear end and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from its sides and bottom at the rear thereof, at least one center section having a plurality of transversely-spaced sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with the bot-, tom thereof and extending lengthwise thereof, said center section having sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with both gunwales thereof, said center section being substantially open at its front and rear ends and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the front and rear thereof, a stern section having a sternboard with a sealed flotation chamber formed integrally therein, said stern section having a plurality of transversely-spaced sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with the bottom thereof and extending lengthwise thereof, said stern section having sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with both gunwales thereof, said stern section being substantially open at its front end and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the front thereof, means for releasably attaching said flanges of said bow, center and stern sections together in watertight engagement, a plurality of seats having notches formed in their ends for engagement by said flanges, said seats having sealed flotation chambers formed therein, and a transom having the shape of the front end of said stern section for selective attachment to one of said sections.

4. A sectional, nestable boat comprising a bow section having a sealed flotation chamber formed integrally therein, said bow section being substantial-1y open at its rear end and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from its sides and bottom at the rear thereof, at least one center section having a plurality of transversely-spaced sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with the bottom thereof and extending lengthwise thereof, said center section further having sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with both gunwales thereof, said center section being substantially open at its front and rear ends and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the front and rear thereof, a stern section having a sternboard with a sealed flotation chamber formed integrally therein, said stern section having a plurality of transversely-spaced sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with the bottom thereof and extending lengthwise thereof, said stern section further having sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with both gunwales thereof, said stern section being substantially open at its front end and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the front thereof, releasable fastening means joining said flanges of said sections together in rigid relationship, and sealing means between said flanges of said sections to form a water-tight seal therebetween.

5. An assemblable sectional boat kit comprising a bow section having a sealed flotation chamber formed integrally therein in the lower portion thereof, said how section being substantially open at its rear end and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from its sides and bottom at the rear thereof, at least one center section having a plurality of transversely spaced sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with the bottom and extending lengthwise thereof, said center section having sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with both gunwales thereof, said center section being substantially open at its front and rear ends and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the front and rear thereof, a stern section having a sternboard with a sealed flotation chamber formed integrally therein, said stern section having a plurality of transversely spaced sealed flotation chambers formed integrally with the bottom and extending lengthwise thereof, said stern section having scaled flotation chambers formed integrally with both gunwales thereof, said stern section being substantially open at its front end and having flanges extending transversely inwardly a short distance from the sides and bottom at the front thereof, means for releasably attaching said flanges of said how, center and stern sections together in water-tight engagement, and a plurality of seats having notches formed in their ends for engagement by said flanges, said seats having sealed flotation chambers formed therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 523,151 Perkins July 17, 1894 608,565 Ahern Aug. 9, 1898 946,513 Johnson Jan. 11, 1910 1,335,072 Nichols Mar. 30, 1920 1,948,831 Sobieralski Feb. 27, 1934 2,099,438 Gilbert Nov. 16, 1937 2,569,611 Jenkins Oct. 2, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,724 Great Britain 1881 755,001 Great Britain Aug. 15, 1956 

